Improvement in devices for detaching horses from vehicles



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PATENT OFFICE;

GEORGE E. LUMPKIN, OF LEXINGTON, GEORGIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES FOR DETACHING HORSES FROM VEHICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,306, dated July 25, 1871.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. LUMPKIN, of Lexington, in the county of Oglethorpe and State of Georgia, have invented certain Improvements in Devices for Detaching Horses from Vehicles, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide convenient and efficient devices by means of which any one, when the animal or animals drawing the carriage in which he may be riding begin to rear up, or back, or to run, may at once and while in hisseat avoid all danger to himself or the carriage by suddenly detaching such carriage from them by simply pulling a cord, strap, or chain. The first part of my invention consists in providing a block with a pulley inclosed in each end, and attaching such block to the rear and longitudinal center of the single-tree by a ball-andsocket joint, so that cords, chains, or strapsplaced in the grooves of the pulleys will pass freely over them, such cord (the two having been united) to be held in the hand of the driver or hitched in any convenient manner against or upon the car riage so as to be within convenient reach. The

second part of my invention relates to the construction and operation of two clips, one on each end of the singletree, in such a manner that when then the cord is pulled by the driver the pins which pass through holes in the back ends of the traces are withdrawn therefrom, so as to leave no connection between the team and the single-tree.

In vehicles drawn by more than one horse more than one set of trace-detachin g apparatus will have to be provided. These devices will be hereinafter more fully described.

Figure 1 represents a plan view of a singletree and of my improvements connected therewith; Fig. 2, a horizontal longitudinal sectional view of the same; and Fig. 3, a side view of a shaft and my device for detaching the backingstrap fastened upon the same and a part of a set of harness to illustrate the operation of my dev1ce.

In the drawing, L is a single-tree. f indicate the clip, one of which is fastened upon each end thereof. T is the bent bar fastened to the rear of the longitudinal center of the singletree, as shown, into which bar the ball V is inserted and confined. That bar is bent back in the center, and its upper and lower sides are bev- M, N, and

eled in order that the block U, which is provided with a suitable socket for the ball V, may work freely upon that bar in every direction. The block U contains two pulleys, X X, which turn upon the axles ll W, and the cords, chains, or straps R R enter the opening d in the block U, one passing in and over the groove in the right pulley and the other in like manner over the left pulley, and they extend respectively to and are fastened in the heads of the right-and-left pins P P. The pins, having the forms shown in the drawing, are placed in the interior of the portion N of the clip, in which is seated spiral sprin gs, the force of which is constantly exerted to extend the large end 0 of the pins P P through part f of the clip. The open spaces 0 c in the clips are, for the insertion of the end of the trace, provided with a hole therein, through which the outer endO of the pin P passes and through asimilar hole in the part f of the clip. In this way the traces are secured to the single-tree, and springs S S keep the pins 0 O in place, as shown by the dotted lines in the outer ends of the clips.

Now, when any of the dangerous emergencies before mentioned should arise, and the driver shall desire to detach the team from the carriage, he may take hold of the end of the cord or strap J, which may have been lodged or hitched in any convenient manner to the front of the carriage, and pull it until the outer ends 0 O of the pins P P are drawn out of the holes in the traces, when, of course, the carriage will stop. But even aft-er the traces are detached from the single-tree in vehicles with shafts, the horse may fall upon the ground, rear up, or turnto the right or left in such a manner that the backing-straps which are around the shafts will not at once let them go.

To avoid this trouble I have invented the device shown in Fig. 3. On the top of the shaft K is fastened the piece or upper jaw G, which is provided with an under jaw, H, which is pivoted within the upper one as shown, and under this jaw is fastened the spring I, so that the rear end is fastened at a point where it does not'touch the shaft, while the forward end presses the shaftin such a manner as to force the lower jaw against the upper, and thus confines the ring F, which, by the strap E, is connected to the ring D.

Now, when the traces become detached, as before specified, and the horse presses forward, the

ring F is forced forward between the front ends of the jaws; then the spring under the lower one yields, the ring passes out, and thus the horse is at once completely detached from the vehicle. This device is applicable to vehicles with shafts only, while the trace-detaching devices are applicable also to those having tongues.

I will now refer to the most import-ant improvement which I have made.

All the trace-detaching devices heretofore in use have been defective in one important particularin this, that when the horse or horses would rear up before or kick up behind, or would fall down or sink into soft or boggy ground, or turn suddenly to the right or left, the action of the detaching devices would work hard or imperfectly, and, perhaps, not at all, and thus prove entirely inefficient when most needed.

My devices, on the other hand, by the use of the described ball-and-sockct joint between the bar T and the block U, act almost equally well in whatever direction the single-tree may be turned by the action of the team, so that the device can never failto act as desired.

I claim as my invention 1. The ball-and-socketjoint connection between the single tree L and the block U, including its pulleys X X, the openings (1, the socket V, the ball V, and bar T, when constructed and operated substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination of the clips M M having the parts N N f f, open spaces 0 6, pins 0 P Q, spiral springs S S, card It, and the described block U having the ball-and-socket joint V and V, when constructed and arranged substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

GEO. B. LUMPKIN.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. Lnsrnn, JONA. SANDERS. 

